General Henderson strode into Medical with purpose and approached Jackson. "Doctor Jackson, what is Mr. Harper's medical condition?" the older man demanded.
Jackson turned away from a male S.H.A.D.O. employee he was examining and faced Henderson. "Mr. Harper has a broken leg and has also had an allergic reaction to the painkiller he was given. Otherwise, the patient is doing well."
Henderson pulled Jackson away from the S.H.A.D.O. employee and in a low voice asked, "He's not faking any of it is he?"
"No, the fracture and rashes are real," the doctor replied with some irritation in his voice.
"Lucky for him he's not pretending," Henderson snorted. "I need him to get a team onboard his ship."
Jackson shook his head in response. "The young man is not so lucky. Mr. Harper has a broken leg and uncomfortable rashes. I'm afraid Mr. Harper will not be able to help you for the time being."
The general ignored the information, striding past Jackson. Henderson peered about the room, before setting his gaze on Harper. "Mr. Harper there you are. We are in need of your assistance.
Harper was lying in a medical bed with a white cream spread on his face and arms. "Hiya General. Nice to see you too."
"Enough with the sarcasm. I need some information from you," Henderson retorted gruffly as approached the engineer's bedside.
A look of curiosity crept across Harper's face. "You might get the information you want from me if you asked politely."
Henderson glowered and let out a snort. "I don't have time for niceties Mr. Harper. Does your ship have any kind of schematics?"
"If it does I'm not giving anything like that to you or your people," Harper replied with defiance. "Rhade and I need the Maru to get back to our time."
"I'm aware of that, but we still require information from you," the general retorted.
Harper pushed himself up to a sitting position and placed a pillow behind his back. "Believe me, I'd like to help you, but I can't."
The general scowled at the younger man. "You can help but you choose not to help us."
"I already helped you by fixing Edd," the engineer reminded. "Anyway, I can't do much with a broken leg."
Henderson continued to stand over Harper's bed. "If you care about Earth you'll cooperate."
An angry look flashed across Harper's face. "Don't play that game with me General. Many of my family and friends died trying to overthrow the Dragans."
"So you say," Henderson replied skeptically. "Let me give you a reason to help us, Mr. Harper. We're fighting a war here in our time and you can help turn the tide in our favor."
"What kind of war? I haven't seen any evidence of a war," Harper questioned. "Who are you fighting in your war?"
The general paused before answering, "All I can tell you is that our enemy is a formidable one, so if you want to help Earth as you say you do, then you need to cooperate with us."
A tired sigh escaped from the engineer. "You mean help you fight whoever or whatever was piloting the spinning ship we encountered on our way down here?"
Henderson eyes narrowed. "Yes, now I have a team that will take you to your ship and you will get them onboard."
"Lemme think about it," the engineer responded cautiously. "I have to think what Beka would do in my place."
"I don't know where you got the impression that you have an option of turning me down. We don't have time for you to think things over."
Harper scrunched his face into a determined expression as he scratched at his left forearm. "Look, you're not the one who has to face Beka if anything happens to the Maru."
The general appeared unmoved by the younger man's dilemma. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a woman."
Andromeda's engineer raised his eyebrows and waved his right hand in the air. "If you'd ever met Beka you wouldn't say that."
"Why are you so sure the ship will be damaged?" Henderson questioned.
Harper pointed a finger at his chest. "It's my luck. The universe hates me."
The general chuckled briefly before replying, "Don't be foolish. How could the whole universe hate you and more importantly why would it bother to hate you?"
"Because I'm a good looking genius," Harper promptly answered in characteristic cockiness.
Henderson stared down at the engineer in consternation. "Rubbish! You're just making excuses for your failures."
The engineer looked frustrated and leaned towards the general. "So you're a psychiatrist are you? I thought Jackson was the psychiatrist around here."
"I'm right and you know it Mr. Harper," Henderson argued. "Now back to the subject of your ship the Eureka Maru."
Harper looked up to the ceiling with exasperation. "Can't you give it a rest General?"
"No, I can't give it a rest. Information from your ship may help us defeat our enemy. Now what are the security codes for the Eureka Maru?" Henderson demanded.
Andromeda's engineer gritted his teeth together. Then he relaxed and leaned back against the pillows. "Okay, but I won't give you the codes. I'll take your team to the Maru and enter the codes myself. They can't watch me enter the codes or in any other way try to find out the codes"
The general glanced down at Harper's leg, looking doubtful. "You won't be able to travel on a broken ankle? I will arrange for the team to take you in a vehicle."
"Dr. Jackson may put up a fuss, but I've had to function with worse than a broken ankle before," replied with a cocky smile. "At least you guys set my leg. Thanks for the use of the vehicle."
An indignant look appeared on Henderson's round face. "Did you honestly think we would let you suffer with your injuries? We're not sadists, Mr. Harper."
Harper shook his head in agreement. "Sorry, but I'm used to my Earth where the Ubers let kludges like me die of our injuries while laughing the whole time. As for getting help from a fellow kludge, well, it was dog eat dog. Every man for himself."
The general studied the small engineer sitting on the bed with a skeptical expression. "You don't look like the kind of person who could have survived for long in that kind of environment."
"A lot of Dragans underestimated me and that was their downfall," Harper replied, making it sound like a warning.
Unfazed by the remark, Henderson ignored the engineer and turned to Dr. Jackson, who had entered the room. The doctor approached Harper's bed with a smile that caused Harper to lean away from Jackson.
"Uh Doc, would you mind not smiling at me like that? It gives me the creeps," Harper asked as he warily eyed Jackson.
The general once again eyed the cast on Harper's leg. "How did you break your ankle?"
Andromeda's engineer jerked his head as he looked at Henderson. "Isn't that in the medical report?"
Jackson nodded in response. "Yes you said you tripped in the dark."
"Yup, I'm not used to having to walk to a switch on the wall in order to turn on the lights," Harper explained.
Henderson quickly glanced over at the doctor and then to Harper. "If you injured yourself in the containment room, then how is it our security cameras have no record of it?"
Harper shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Are your cameras set up to see in the dark?"
A chuckle emanated from Jackson's direction, earning the doctor a stern glare from Henderson. "Of course our security cameras can film in the dark," the general bellowed in response.
"That's funny, I don't remember this kind of technology being available in your time, except to the military," the engineer replied with typical excitement. "Of course you are a general and Alec and Virginia are colonels so, using my genius brain, I have deduced that you are a paramilitary organization . Ergo, iit would make sense that you would have night vision technology before the general public."
"You think you're pretty clever don't you Mr. Harper?" Henderson retorted gruffly.
A cocky smirk appeared on Harper's face. "I did say that I'm a genius." Before the engineer could protest, Jackson deftly put a thermometer into Harper's mouth.
"Please do not talk while the thermometer is in your mouth Mr. Harper," the doctor advised.
The prospect of a temporarily quiet Seamus Harper brought a smile to Henderson's face. The general sat back down in a chair next to Harper's bed and leaned back. Henderson drummed his fingers one arm of his chair as he watched Jackson take Harper's pulse.
A minute later Jackson pulled the thermometer from Harper's mouth. The engineer looked at Jackson and asked, "Well Doc? Can I get out of here?"
"Out of Medical? Yes ,you may leave," Jackson informed as he took a pair of crutches from one of the medical orderlies. "Please use these crutches and do not over exert yourself."
Harper gingerly got out of bed and hopped on one leg to the rack where his street clothes were hanging. "Thanks Doc, but I'm not used to using crutches."
"You don't expect us to believe this is the first time you've broken any bones in your legs or feet" Henderson concluded.
"General, if I may answer for the patient," Jackson chimed in. "According to the x rays taken of Mr. Harper show he's broken both legs and also broken bones in his feet prior to his accident here," Jackson answered for the engineer.
Harper barely looked up from examining his hospital shirt, tugging at the hem. "Don't get the idea I was accident prone. The Dragans just liked to beat up on Kludges and I happened to be one of their prime targets."
Jackson moved to assist the engineer in getting dressed but Harper rebuffed the doctor. "Hey Doc, no offense, but I can dress myself. Would you guys mind stepping outside so I can get out of these hospital duds?'
The doctor's eyes traveled down to his the folder in his hands before looking at Harper. "Alright, we'll allow you your privacy."
Once Jackson had rolled a privacy screen next to Harper's bed, the doctor and Henderson walked away. Harper adjusted the screen and began changing, carefully placing the clothes against his still sensitive skin.
Once he was in his street clothes, the engineer emerged from behind the privacy screen announcing, "Okay I'm ready for action."
"Good, a team of is ready to take you to your ship." Henderson announced.
***
Colonel Straker, would you have a few minutes to spare?" Beka inquired as she entered Machine Shop 3. The executive officer quickly looked around the room as she approached Straker.
S.H.A.D.O.'s commander had an intense look on his face as he watched Rhekeeb run the simulation. "In a moment. Rhekeeb and his team are running a simulation."
Beka turned and watched the hologram of her ship with intense interest. When the simulation ended in the explosion of the Lunar Module, the blonde had a grim expression. "Obviously there's a flaw in your calculations."
"This is just our first simulation," Rhekeeb quickly defended. "We'll go back and see where we went wrong."
"You do that, and better luck next time," Beka replied before turning to Straker. "Colonel, I thought you might like to know Rommie was able to find some information on Blue. Would you care to hear it?"
A expression of interest appeared on the commander's face. "Yes, I hope the boy is doing well,"
"Blue is doing fine. He's still hasn't spoken, but he seems to have adjusted to being onboard the Andromeda," the executive officer informed.
The Perseids immediately returned to their work, ignoring Beka and Straker. The commander offered a wane smile. "That's good to hear. So what have you found out about Blue?"
"Trance took a DNA sample from the boy and had it checked against samples in as many databases as possible," Beka explained.
The commander immediately looked pensive. "Identification trough DNA. That's very new stuff in my time."
"But old hat, so to speak, our time," Beka replied. "Andromeda was able to find out Blue's real name and where he's originally from."
"I'm surprised with the technology available that Reverend Storm wasn't able to get that information," Straker mused thoughtfully.
The executive officer crossed her arms across her chest. "The technology is available but not everybody can access it. Wayist mercy ships like the one Blue was on wouldn't have the resources to or security to access the kind of files that a High Guard warship would have."
Straker gave the blonde woman a knowing nod of his head. "There certain advantages to having a military security level."
"Yup," Beka replied with a grin.
Straker moved over to a stool a few feet behind him and sat down. "Are Blue's parents alive?"
Beka let out a soft breath and blinked several times. "No they were killed in a raid on his home planet. The slave traders came looking for people they could sell off to planets that still practice slavery. Apparently, some of the people on his planet tried to fight back but the slave traders had too much firepower. Most of the people in Blue's village were killed. Those that weren't killed were taken away and sold into slavery."
The Commander's jaw tensed but his expression was impassive. "That must have been very traumatic for Blue. I can understand why he doesn't talk. What is his real name?"
"William Edward Brophy," Beka informed as she moved one of the spare stools closer to the commander and sat down.
Straker briefly glanced over at the Perseid team before responding, "Has anybody told Blue what you found out?"
"No, Dylan is going to tell him," Beka answered.
Straker looked the executive officer directly in the eyes before replying, "I'd like permission to speak to the boy instead.."
Beka looked away from Straker and stared straight ahead "Andromeda, pass along Colonel Straker's request to Dylan." Beka then turned back to the commander. "I'm sure Dylan won't have any objection. Why would you want to be the one to talk Blue?"
"I've had more experience with children than Captain Hunt," Straker answered matter-of-factly."
Beka frowned at the commander. "This whole experience with the kid must bring back some bad memories for you. There's no need for you to be the one to talk to Blue, I mean William."
A determined look crossed Straker's fair features. "I can handle it Captain Valentine."
The executive officer arched her eyebrows at Straker's attitude. "I just wanted you to know you don't have to talk to the kid. You don't have to show us all how macho you are."
Straker got off the stool and stood in front of the executive officer. "Captain Valentine, I'm not trying to show you and the rest of Andromeda's crew anything or prove anything. I'm merely trying to help a young boy."
"Okay, it's your choice," Beka replied. "I should get to Command. I've got a ship to pilot."